Deck Building 101: Mana Curves, Synergy and Consistency

Start with a plan

Decide how your deck is going to win before you choose the cards. It might be attacking early, controlling the table, or building toward a few powerful cards. Every card in the deck should support that plan.

The mana curve

The mana curve is the number of cards at each cost. A good curve has cheap cards you can play in the first turns, a middle of solid cards and a few expensive finishers. A deck that is all expensive cards leaves you doing nothing early on, and a deck of only cheap cards runs out of power.

Synergy

Cards that support each other are worth more than their individual power. If several of your cards share a keyword or reward the same action, they become better as a group.

Consistency

• Use multiples of the cards that matter most to your plan.
• Do not include a card just because it is strong. Include it if it fits.
• Keep the deck at the minimum size allowed, so that you draw your best cards more often.
• Respect colour or realm limits. A deck with too many different colours cannot be played reliably.

Test and adjust

Play the deck several times and take notes on which cards you did not enjoy drawing and which ones you wished you had more of. Swap one or two at a time so you can tell what changed.

A sample curve to start from

A common starting point is to think of your deck in three bands. Many cheap cards that you can play in the first turns, a healthy middle of cards that do the main work, and a small number of expensive cards that win the game. If your game uses a 30-card deck, a split of roughly a third in each band is a reasonable first draft. Treat it as a draft, not a rule, and adjust it to your plan.

After a few games, notice which band you wished you had more of. If you were often stuck with nothing to play early, add cheaper cards. If you ran out of ways to finish, add a stronger top end.

Try it in Arcane Realms

Arcane Realms has a full deck builder with a live mana curve, a smart-fill option to complete a deck, collection filters and a two-realm rule for combining realms. You can try a deck against a computer opponent at three difficulties.

Common questions

How many copies of a card should I include?

As many as the rules allow for the cards that are central to your plan, and fewer for situational ones. Consistency comes from repeating the cards you want to draw.

Is it bad to use several realms or colours?

It makes the deck less consistent, which is why many games limit it. Keep to what your plan needs.

How do I know when a deck is finished?

When you can describe in one sentence how it wins, and every card helps that sentence come true.

Should I copy a strong deck?

It can be a good way to learn, but you will play it better if you understand why each card is there, so make small changes of your own.